Adjustable foldable harrow.



D. K. WILSON.

ADJUSTABLE FOLDABLE HABROW. vuryarmnou FILED r123. 27, 1911.

11,015,865. Patented Jan. 30,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANGflI-APH 60.. WASl-lmuroN. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DALTON K. WILSON, 0F WATERLOO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM GALLOWAY COMPANY, 015' WATERLOO, IOWA.

ADJUSTABLE FOLIDAIBLE HARBOW.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DALTON K. VVILsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Vaterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Foldable Harrows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in adjustable foldable harrows, and the object of my improvement is to so connect the movable parts as to both permit of adjustment of the angle of inclination of the teeth, and also permit of a yielding play of the parts over rough ground, while at the same time connecting such parts into a well secured whole, the parts being bound in a unity which prevents any partial relaxation when the draft thereon ceases, and the nature of the connections being such that'the whole of the harrow may be folded into the smallest compass for storage. This object I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated by the following drawings, annexed hereto, in which:

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the whole harrow, the component harrows of which are linked to a common swingletree. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one .of the component harrows, as set up in working position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of said harrow as folded into its most compact condition. Fig; 4 is an enlarged broken detail view of portions of cross-bars of said harrow, with their connections. Fig. 5 is a side elevation on even a greater scale of one of the saddle-shaped bodies used to secure the connecting-links to permit of the swinging of the parallel links past each other when the harrow is folded up. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the body depicted in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged central vertical section of the spring-pocket used to secure the rear end of the adjusting lever.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1 I have shown three harrows connected by links 3, eyebolts 4 and eyelets 5 on the saddle-brackets 6 of the forward crossbars 1, to the long swingletree 2, whereby all are held in the same transverse alinement for use in dragging a wide track together.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1911.

Patented Jan. 30, 1912.

Serial No. 611,173.

However, my invention is not in any wise dependent upon the arrangement of the harrows relative to each other or to their number, since the principle of my invention is perfectly demonstrated in its use in a single harrow as well as in a plurality of them. Each harrow has the usual cross-bars 1, in parallel relation, but shifted a little with respect to each other to accordingly stagger the teeth 13 which project downwardly in a desired number from each cross-bar. The cross-bars 1 are connected by 'alined horizontal longitudinally placed and alined links, in two series, an upper series 11 and a lower series 12. Each link 11, as Well as each link 12, consists of a cylindrical bar whose forward 'end is bent into a reversed hook 23 while its rear end is in the shape of an offset part with the extremity directed rearwardly. In use, these links are used, as shown in Fig. 4, with their hooks directed oppositely and toward each other, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this arrangement since the said links may be otherwise relatively located or otherwise similarly formed without departing from the scope and principle of my invention.

Upon each cross-bar 1, near its ends, are mounted the saddle-brackets 6, so termed because of their saddle-shaped portions 21 which ride upon the cross-bar and which are then secured to the latter by means of a bolt 20. Each of said brackets, except those upon the foremost and rearmost cross-bars, has two upwardly directed bearing lugs 7 and 8, and two downwardly directed bearing-lugs 9 and 10, said lugs having bearing-orifices adapted to receive the hooked ends of said links. The brackets on the foremost cross-bar lack the forward upper and lower lugs, while the rearmost cross-bar brackets lack the rearmost upper and lower lugs, such lugs being unnecessary. The upwardly directed lugs 7 and 8 are offset on the bracket 6 to one side of the downwardly directed lugs 9 and 10 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The upper series of links 11 have their end-hooks 23 inserted in the bearing-openings of the lugs 8 before them, while their rear hooks 22 are inserted in the lugs behind them. In a similar manner the under series of alined links 12 are arranged with their hooks 23 inserted in the bearing-openings of the lugs 10 before them, while their other hooks 22 are inserted in the openings of the lugs 9 behind them. The series of links 12 thus lies without the vertical plane of the series of links 11, and therein lies an important feature of my invention, since this arrangement of the respective links prevents either series from interfering with the other adjacent series when the harrow is being folded up, and thus permits the most compact arrangement of the latter, as will be evident on referring to Fig. 3. It will also be observed that the offset hooks 522 on said links, as well as the other hooks 23, are so engaged with the lugs in whose bearing-openings they are respectively inserted, that they look against said lugs and prevent sidewise displacement of the links relative to the brackets 6 and the cross-bars 1, and thus render the cross-bars proof against sidewise displacement, although permitting an up and down rocking movement in moving over the humps and hollows of irregular surfaces.

In order to vary the inclination of the teeth 13 toward the earth adjustably, I have adopted the following means. 17 designates an adjusting lever, whose forward end is slightly depressed and loosely linked to a swivel 19 which may be on either of the first or second forward bars 1. The rear end of the lever 17 is slightly curved upwardly and provided with a number of notches 18 on its under edge. 14 is an upright fixedly supported on the middle of the rearmost crossbar 1, and having 011 one side a springpocket 15 suspended from a bolt 24. This pocket 15 is closed above and below, but its forward and rear ends have openings through which passes the rear end of the said lever 17. A coiled compression-spring 25 is seated in said pocket and adapted to bear downwardly upon said lever. Said pocket and the upright 14: have registering orifices from side to side adapted to receive a removable pin or bolt 16 which crosses the hollow of the pocket at such a location as to receive one of the notches 18 on the lever 17 when the latter is seated in said pocket. The lever may be shifted in said pocket, by first lifting it against the tension of the yieldable spring 25 so as to clear said bolt 16, then dropping it with one of the desired notches 18 seated upon the bolt. By this shifting of the lever 17 in the pocket 15 the degree of inclination of the harrow-teeth 13 may be varied as desired, as readily perceived. However, the linking of the lever 17 between the fixed upright 141 and either of the two forward bars 1 of the harrow has this further beneficial effect. so linking together the parts is to create a relatively unitary and self-dependent struc ture, since the lever, the series of links, and the intermediately placed saddle-brackets 6 form an articulated and braced framework,

The result of capable of relative movements of the crossbars, but preventing collapse of any crossbar. The parts mentioned form a foursided structure, each part linking and bracing the other. For instance, when the draft is removed from the swingletree 2, the first or second cross-bars do not fall forward, dragged down by it, but are retained by my said means as parts of the unitary structure, ready for service. When desired, the rear end of the lever 17 may be disconnected from the spring-pocket 15, then swung upon the swivel 19 transversely, and with the released cross-bars 1 then closely folded up for storage or transportation in a manner already described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is:

1. In a harrow, the combination with a long swingletree, of a harrow made in a plurality of sections secured thereto independently of each other; each of said sections being constructed of rocking crossbars provided with harrow-teeth, said cross bars being pivotally connected by longitudinal rows in pairs of links of which one row is above the bars and the other below, the upper rows being placed to one side of the adjacent lower rows, and the links of such adjacent upper and lower rows being adapted to swing past each other to permit of closely folding the cross-bars together, said connections being formed to bind and prevent sidewise displacements of said bars relative to each other but permit vertical oscillations of the sa1ne,means for simultaneously rocking said bars to a tilted position, and means for flexibly locking all said parts into a braced unitary structure.

2. In a harrow, the combination with a long swingletree, of a harrow made in a plurality of sections secured thereto independently of each other; each of said sections being constructed of rocking cross-bars provided with harrow-teeth, said cross-bars being pivotally connected by longitudinal rows in pairs of links of which one row is above the bars and the other below, the upper rows being placed to one side of the ad jacent lower rows, and the links of such adjacent upper and lower rows being adapted to swing past each other to permit of closely folding the cross-bars together, means for simultaneously rocking said bars to a tilted position, and means for flexibly locking all said parts into a braced unitary structure.

3. A harrow constructed of rocking crossbars provided with harrow-teeth, each end of each cross-bar having a pair of upwardly.

directed and downwardly-directed bearinglugs, each pair of lugs being alined with the similar pairs of lugs on the other crossbars to the front and rear thereof with the lugs of each pair in the same longitudinal alinelnent, links pivotally connecting the upper lugs and links pivotally connecting the lower lugs the upper lugs being located to one side of the lower lugs, and means for rocking said cross-bars to tilt the teeth thereof backward or forward.

4. A harrow constructed of rocking crossbars provided with harrow-teeth, each end of each cross-bar having a pair of upwardlydirected and of downwardly-directed bearing-lugs, each pair of lugs being alined with the similar pairs of lugs on the other crossbars to the front and rear thereof with the lugs of each pair in the same longitudinal alinement, links pivotally connecting the upper lugs and links pivotally connecting the lower lugs, the upper lugs being located to one side of the lower lugs, and said links being formed to bind against said lugs to prevent sidewise displacement of said crossbars relative to one another.

5, A harrow constructed of cross-bars provided with harrow-teeth, each end of each cross-bar having a pair of upwardly-directed and of downwardly-directed bearing-lugs, each pair of lugs being alined with the similar pairs of lugs on the other cross-bars to the front and rear thereof with the lugs of each pair in the same longitudinal alinelower lugs, the upper lugsbeing located to one side of the lower lugs, and means for detachably locking said parts into a selfsupporting flexible unitary structure.

6. A harrow constructed of cross-bars provided with barrow-teeth, each end of each cross-bar having a pair of upwardly-directed and of downwardly-directed bearing-lugs, each pair of lugs being alined with the similar pairs of lugs on the other cross-bars to the front and rear thereof with the lugs of each pair in the same longitudinal alinement links pivotally connecting the upper lugs and links pivotally connecting the lower lugs, the upper lugs being located to one side of the lower lugs, an arm swiveled to the forward cross-bar and detachably adjustably secured to the rearinost cross-bar, and yieldable resilient means for yieldingly securing said arm to said rear cross-bar.

Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 10th day of Feb. 1911.

DALTON K. WILSON.

l/Vitnesses:

' G. G. KENNEDY, O. D. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

